FOUR Skibbereen rowers have officially been selected to represent Team Ireland at the upcoming Olympic Games.
Reigning Olympic men’s lightweight double scull champions Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy will be in Paris to defend their title in Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium, to the southeast of the city; the rowing will run from July 27th until August 2nd.
Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist Emily Hegarty has been selected in the Irish women’s four; this is the same boat that the Skibb rower won an Olympic medal in three years ago, though the line-up is different this time as Natalie Long and Imogen Magner join 2021 survivor Eimear Lambe.
Also, Skibb’s Aoife Casey will partner Margaret Cremen (Rochestown) in the Irish women’s lightweight double scull.
Margaret Cremen and Aoife Casey during the Rowing Team Ireland Paris 2024 team announcement at the National Rowing Centre in Cork. (Photo: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile)
A record number of crews has qualified for Team Ireland at these Games, with 16 athletes to compete across seven boats. The Team Ireland rowing team includes nine Tokyo Olympians and six rowers with Olympic medals. The qualification process for rowing at the Olympics involved crews winning quota spots for the nation at the World Championships last year, for the pairs and the doubles, and at the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta in Lucerne this year for the fours.
This Thursday, June 20th, is the official team day for the Team Ireland rowers, which will see the athletes receiving their kit, and being honoured in front of their families and friends. Following this team day, the lightweight crews will continue on to Banyoles, Spain, where they finalise their training, and the rest of the team will train in Varese, Italy, before meeting in Paris in July.
The Women's Four team, from left, Eimear Lambe, Emily Hegarty, Natalie Long and Imogen Magner during the Rowing Team Ireland Paris 2024 team announcement at the National Rowing Centre in Cork. (Photo: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile)
Speaking on the official selection, Tokyo Olympic champion, Fintan McCarthy, said: ‘It’s been a great Olympic cycle for the whole team, and we are excited to just get out there in Paris and perform to our best. These opportunities don’t come around too often, so I’m looking forward to putting in the final touches over the coming weeks and enjoying it. In Paris, the atmosphere will be something else and a very different experience to Tokyo, and that’s something we are also excited about.’
Antonio Maurogiovanni, Rowing Performance Director said, ‘We are delighted to be able to officially announce the team of rowers that will represent Ireland at this year's Olympic Games. This event only comes around every four years, and showcases the pinnacle of rowing, with only a select few of the best crews in the world getting the opportunity to compete. This is the largest rowing team that Ireland has ever sent to a games with 16 athletes set to race on the Olympic course. The focus remains on the preparation over the next five weeks, but today is a very exciting day for all athletes, coaches, families and support staff.’
The crews selected are as follows:
Men’s Lightweight Double Scull: Paul O’Donovan (Skibbereen) & Fintan McCarthy (Skibbereen)
Women’s Lightweight Double Scull: Margaret Cremen (Rochestown) & Aoife Casey (Skibbereen)
Men’s Double Scull: Philip Doyle (Banbridge, Co. Down) & Daire Lynch (Clonmel, Co. Tipperary)
Women’s Double Scull: Zoe Hyde (Killorglin, Co. Kerry) & Alison Bergin (Kildinan, Co. Cork)
Men’s Pair: Ross Corrigan (Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh) & Nathan Timoney (Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh)
Women’s Pair: Aifric Keogh (Na Forbacha, Co. Galway) & Fiona Murtagh (Moycullen, Co. Galway)
Women’s Four: Emily Hegarty (Skibbereen), Natalie Long (Cobh/Johannesburg), Eimear Lambe (Cabra, Dublin), Imogen Magner (Killavullen, Co. Cork/Cambridge, England) & Holly Davis (Ballincollig, Cork) (reserve)
